---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor…"
description: "\"When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the United States struck back. She didn't go and bomb - she bombed any part of Japan. She dropped the bomb on Hi..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/896/malcolm-x-213_bombs_when-the-japanese-bombed-pearl-harbor-th_2296875.jpg"
---

#  When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the United States…

![“When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the United States struck back. She didn't go and bomb - she bombed any part of Japan. She dropped the bomb on Hiroshima. Those people in Hiroshima probably hadn't even, some of them; most of them hadn't even killed anybody.” quote by Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/896/malcolm-x-213_bombs_when-the-japanese-bombed-pearl-harbor-th_2296875.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/896/malcolm-x-213_bombs_when-the-japanese-bombed-pearl-harbor-th_2296875.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/896/malcolm-x-213_bombs_when-the-japanese-bombed-pearl-harbor-th_2296875.jpg)

> “When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the United States struck back. She didn't go and bomb - she bombed any part of Japan. She dropped the bomb on Hiroshima. Those people in Hiroshima probably hadn't even, some of them; most of them hadn't even killed anybody.”

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The statement conflates the U.S. response to Pearl Harbor with the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, misrepresenting the timeline and actors.

**In simple terms:** The U.S. bombed Japan after Pearl Harbor, not as a direct immediate retaliation.

Key Takeaway

Check historical facts before sharing.

Themes

history war ethics politics misinformation

Mood

critical reflective

Type

educational analytical

When to use this quote

- educational discussions
- history classes
- media analysis
- public discourse

Key Concepts

causality military strategy propaganda

Questions to Reflect On

- What were the actual steps the U.S. took after Pearl Harbor?
- How does misinformation shape public perception?

A Different Perspective

Oversimplifies complex events; conflates separate actions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombs/) [Hiroshima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hiroshima/) [Japan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/japan/) [Pearl harbor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pearl-harbor/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/)

## Related quotes

> [Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell, no!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-belushi/nothing-is-over-until-we-decide-it-is-was-it-over-when-the-germans/)

[John Belushi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-belushi/)

> [“Over? Did you say over? Nothing is over until WE decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/over-did-you-say-over-nothing-is-over-until-we-decide-it-is-was-it/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“What? Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-blutarsky/what-over-did-you-say-over-nothing-is-over-until-we-decide-it-is-was/)

John Blutarsky

> [“Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bluto-in-animal-house/was-it-over-when-the-germans-bombed-pearl-harbor/)

Bluto in Animal House

> [I saw the film Pearl Harbour and it made me wish that the Japanese had bombed Hollywood instead!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-james/i-saw-the-film-pearl-harbour-and-it-made-me-wish-that-the-japanese/)

[Clive James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-james/)

> [On December 7, 1941, an event took place that had nothing to do with me or my family and yet which had devastating consequences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/on-december-7-1941-an-event-took-place-that-had-nothing-to-do-with-me/)

[David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/)

> [ We would do the same thing that America did when the Jap\[an\] - when, when Pearl Harbor was attacked. America defended itself. They said… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/we-would-do-the-same-thing-that-america-did-when-the-jap-an-when-when/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [After Hiroshima was bombed, I saw a photograph of the side of a house with the shadows of the people who had lived there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/after-hiroshima-was-bombed-i-saw-a-photograph-of-the-side-of-a-house/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [It seemed like my professional life would take a more scientific route. I guess that plan started to become undone when, at the age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnon-goldfinger/it-seemed-like-my-professional-life-would-take-a-more-scientific/)

[Arnon Goldfinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnon-goldfinger/)

> [“The atom bomb wasn’t used in Korea,” Father contributed. They really didn’t see it. “America planned to use the bomb,” she insisted. “Everything was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-davis/the-atom-bomb-wasn-t-used-in-korea-father-contributed-they-really/)

[Jane Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-davis/)

> [Hiroshima does not look like a bombed city. It looks as if a monster steamroller had passed over it and squashed it out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfred-burchett/hiroshima-does-not-look-like-a-bombed-city-it-looks-as-if-a-monster/)

[Wilfred Burchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfred-burchett/)

> [“I come and stand at every door But none can hear my silent tread I knock and yet remain unseen For I am dead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naz-m-hikmet/i-come-and-stand-at-every-door-but-none-can-hear-my-silent-tread-i/)

[Nazim Hikmet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naz-m-hikmet/)

> [The most racist, nastiest act by America, after human slavery, was the bombing of Nagasaki. Not of Hiroshima, which might have had some military…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-most-racist-nastiest-act-by-america-after-human-slavery-was-the/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [I stated that Hiroshima and Nagasaki are 'among the most unspeakable crimes in history.' I took no position on just where they stand on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-stated-that-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-are-among-the-most-unspeakable/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

## More by Malcolm X

> [If Christianity had asserted itself in Germany, six million Jews would have lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/if-christianity-had-asserted-itself-in-germany-six-million-jews-would/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [Adam Clayton Powell's entire political career has to be looked at in the entire context of the American history and the history of, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/adam-clayton-powell-s-entire-political-career-has-to-be-looked-at-in/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [American civil rights leader, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? Lynching is a murder. For the past four hundred years our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/american-civil-rights-leader-where-do-we-go-from-here-chaos-or/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [Be nonviolent only with those who are nonviolent to you. And when you can bring me a nonviolent racist, bring me a nonviolent segregationist,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/be-nonviolent-only-with-those-who-are-nonviolent-to-you-and-when-you/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [You can't legislate good will - that comes through education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/you-can-t-legislate-good-will-that-comes-through-education/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [Truth is on the side of the oppressed today, it's against the oppressor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/truth-is-on-the-side-of-the-oppressed-today-it-s-against-the-oppressor/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [Those type of whites who are always going to jail with Negroes are the ones who tell Negroes to be loving and be kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/those-type-of-whites-who-are-always-going-to-jail-with-negroes-are/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [We Muslims believe that the white race, which is guilty of having oppressed and exploited and enslaved our people here in America, should and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/we-muslims-believe-that-the-white-race-which-is-guilty-of-having/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [I mean a real police state just to get a token recognition of a law. It take, it took, I think, 15,000 troops and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/i-mean-a-real-police-state-just-to-get-a-token-recognition-of-a-law/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [Like Samson, I am ready to pull down the white man's temple, knowing full well that I will be destroyed by the falling rubble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/like-samson-i-am-ready-to-pull-down-the-white-man-s-temple-knowing/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [Any negro who occupies a position that was given to him by the white man, if you analyze his function, his function never enables…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/any-negro-who-occupies-a-position-that-was-given-to-him-by-the-white/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [Stumbling is not falling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/stumbling-is-not-falling/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [God is going to punish the white man for his misdeeds toward black people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/god-is-going-to-punish-the-white-man-for-his-misdeeds-toward-black/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [Much of what I say might sound like it's stirring up trouble, but it's the truth!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/much-of-what-i-say-might-sound-like-it-s-stirring-up-trouble-but-it-s/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [I believe in the brotherhood of all men, but I don't believe in wasting brotherhood on anyone who doesn't want to practice it with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/i-believe-in-the-brotherhood-of-all-men-but-i-don-t-believe-in/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

[Explore all 891 Malcolm X quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

## More Bombs quotes

> [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/)

[Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/)

> [“Our world will not die as a result of the bomb, as the papers say, it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/our-world-will-not-die-as-a-result-of-the-bomb-as-the-papers-say-it/)

[Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/)

> [ No wonder that Churchill described this effort \[the British codebreakers working at Bletchley Park\] as "Britian"s secret weapon," a weapon far more effective than… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hilton/no-wonder-that-churchill-described-this-effort-the-british/)

[Peter Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hilton/)

> [There is an idea that you can take the spiritual teachings of a religion outside of a religion and practice them; these ideas are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/there-is-an-idea-that-you-can-take-the-spiritual-teachings-of-a/)

[Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/)

> [In 2001, we were told that the war in Afghanistan was a feminist mission. The marines were liberating Afghan women from the Taliban. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-2001-we-were-told-that-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-a-feminist/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [The pace of science forces the pace of technique. Theoretical physics forces atomic energy on us; the successful production of the fission bomb forces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-pace-of-science-forces-the-pace-of-technique-theoretical-physics/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [We're not going to cure terrorism and spread peace and goodwill in the Middle East by killing innocent people, or I'm not even saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-sheehan/we-re-not-going-to-cure-terrorism-and-spread-peace-and-goodwill-in/)

[Cindy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-sheehan/)

> [I call on the Iranian people: it is not too late to replace the corrupt regime and return to your glorious Persian heritage, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/i-call-on-the-iranian-people-it-is-not-too-late-to-replace-the/)

[Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/)

> [My God! The English language is a form of communication! Conversation isn't just crossfire where you shoot and get shot at! Where you've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/my-god-the-english-language-is-a-form-of-communication-conversation/)

[Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/)

> [I am not sure why, but I have been obsessed by the Atom Bomb ever since it first happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lanford-wilson/i-am-not-sure-why-but-i-have-been-obsessed-by-the-atom-bomb-ever/)

[Lanford Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lanford-wilson/)

> [Everybody I've ever met was destroyed by a member of the opposite sex early on and that damage you took into every relationship after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/everybody-i-ve-ever-met-was-destroyed-by-a-member-of-the-opposite-sex/)

[Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/)

> [I had a very well-respected writer ask me point blank to my face whether it actually mattered to me. Now, without wanting to reach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-furyk/i-had-a-very-well-respected-writer-ask-me-point-blank-to-my-face/)

[Jim Furyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-furyk/)

> [If torture is going to be administered as a last resort in the ticking-bomb case, to save enormous numbers of lives, it ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/if-torture-is-going-to-be-administered-as-a-last-resort-in-the/)

[Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/)

> [There are cameras nowadays that have been developed to tell the difference between a squirrel and a bomb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/there-are-cameras-nowadays-that-have-been-developed-to-tell-the/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [Our military superiority is so great - it's far greater than it was in the Gulf War, and the Gulf War was over in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/our-military-superiority-is-so-great-it-s-far-greater-than-it-was-in/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

[Browse all 1,253 Bombs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombs/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the United States struck back. She didn't go and bomb - she bombed any part of Japan. She dropped the bomb on Hiroshima. Those people in Hiroshima probably hadn't even, some of them; most of them hadn't even killed anybody.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Malcolm X"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/when-the-japanese-bombed-pearl-harbor-the-united-states-struck-back/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bombs"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/when-the-japanese-bombed-pearl-harbor-the-united-states-struck-back/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/896/malcolm-x-213_bombs_when-the-japanese-bombed-pearl-harbor-th_2296875.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/896/malcolm-x-213_bombs_when-the-japanese-bombed-pearl-harbor-th_2296875.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/896/malcolm-x-213_bombs_when-the-japanese-bombed-pearl-harbor-th_2296875.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the United States struck back. She didn't go and bomb - she bombed…” — Malcolm X",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Malcolm X",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/when-the-japanese-bombed-pearl-harbor-the-united-states-struck-back/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/when-the-japanese-bombed-pearl-harbor-the-united-states-struck-back/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
